Without limiting the scope of the invention, its background is described in connection with applications and methods for manufacturing photoluminescent polymers and the use of these polymers in the biomedical fields.
US Patent Application No. 2002/0193522 (Yih-Min Sun, 2002) describes the synthesis and luminescent characteristics of novel phosphorus containing light-emitting polymers, especially one improving the luminescence efficiency of the synthesis light-emitting polymers. According to the method of the present invention, the electron-transporting chromophores are introduced into an emission polymer to increase its electron affinity. Further, several phosphorus-containing emission chromophores are synthesized and incorporated with electron-transporting chromophores finally resulting in the novel phosphorus chromophores emitting blue light as expected, improving thermal stability of resulting polymers such that the absorption peaks of these polymers are restricted to a stable range.
WIPO Patent Application No: WO/2007/143209 (Fraser, et al. 2007) discloses luminescent diketonate polymers having fluorescent properties, phosphorescent properties, or both fluorescent and phosphorescent properties.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,345,596 issued to Wallach and Lincoln, 2008 describes smart polymeric multilayer sensors in the form of beads suitable for submarine detection. The sensors have a change in detectable property, such as color, which occurs when said sensors are exposed to a particular stimulus such as an object or event to be detected. The change in property is thus detectable by an external monitor.
US Patent Application No. 2002/0018843 A1 (Antwerp and Mastrotoaro, 2002) discloses a method for determination of the concentration of biological levels of polyhydroxylated compounds, particularly glucose. The methods utilize an amplification system that is an analyte transducer immobilized in a polymeric matrix, where the system is implantable and biocompatible. Upon interrogation by an optical system, the amplification system produces a signal capable of detection external to the skin of the patient. Quantification of the analyte of interest is achieved by measurement of the emitted signal.